Athletic shoe midsole design and construction

• US 6,393,732 B1
• Filed: 06/08/2000
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mizuno Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mizuno Corporation
• Inventors: Kita, Kenjiro
• Primary Examiner(s): KAVANAUGH, JOHN T
• Application Number:
  US09/590,531
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 36/30 R,3 B,102,28,29,27
• US Class Current: 36/30.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/203 provided with a pump or valve
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/082 the air being expelled to the outside

Abstract

A midsole assembly for an athletic shoe includes a midsole formed of soft elastic material, a corrugated sheet interposed in the heel portion of the midsole, a plurality of transverse holes formed at the contact regions of the midsole with the corrugated sheet, and through holes extending vertically and communicating with transverse holes. In using this shoe, air flows into the shoe through the transverse holes and the through holes. Thus, good ventilation can be acquired especially at the heel portion of the inside of the shoe. The corrugated sheet maintains the shape of the transverse holes and prevents them from being crushed by the impact load applied onto the midsole at the time of impacting the ground so that ventilation can be secured in a highly loaded athletic shoe.

Claims

1. The midsole assembly for an athletic shoe comprising:

a midsole formed of soft elastic material;

a corrugated sheet having corrugation, said corrugated sheet being interposed in at least the heel portion of said midsole;

a plurality of transverse holes formed at the regions where said midsole contacts with said corrugated sheet, said transverse holes extending in the shoe width direction;

a plurality of vent holes extending vertically and communicating with said transverse holes, said vent holes having open ends on the plantar contact face of said heel portion of said midsole;

a vertically extending through hole formed at the midfoot portion of said midsole;

a groove formed at the forefoot portion of said midsole, said groove extending longitudinally and communicating with said through hole;

a plurality of vent holes being open at the plantar contact face of said forefoot portion of said midsole, said vent holes extending vertically and communicating with said groove;

a concave portion formed at an opening portion of said through hole on the bottom side of said midfoot portion; and

a cover portion formed at a portion of said corrugated sheet, said cover portion disposed oppositely to said opening portion of said through hole and covering a portion of said concave portion.

2. The midsole assembly according to claim 1, wherein said vent holes at said forefoot portion of said midsole are aligned in a general shoe width direction, and further comprising a transverse groove extending in said general shoe width direction on the bottom side of said forefoot portion and communicating with each one of said vent holes at said forefoot portion.

3. The midsole assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a midsole groove extending in a general shoe width direction on said midfoot portion of said midsole and communicating with said through hole.

4. A midsole assembly for an athletic shoe, comprising a midsole and a corrugated sheet, wherein:

said midsole consists essentially of at least one soft elastic material, includes a forefoot portion, a midfoot portion and a heel portion, and has a top surface adapted to face upwardly toward an upper of said shoe and a bottom surface adapted to face downwardly toward an outsole of said shoe;

said heel portion includes an upper heel portion and a lower heel portion;

said corrugated sheet includes at least a corrugated portion thereof that has a corrugated configuration and that is interposed between said upper heel portion and said lower heel portion, and a plantar arch portion that includes a cover portion and that is arranged on said bottom surface of said midfoot portion;

at least one transverse hole extends transversely in said heel portion of said midsole along said corrugated portion of said corrugated sheet and is open at least at one of a lateral side and a medial side of said heel portion;

at least one heel vent hole extends entirely vertically through said upper heel portion of said midsole from said at least one transverse hole to said top surface;

a concave recess is formed in said bottom surface of said midfoot portion of said midsole;

at least one midfoot vent hole extends entirely vertically through said midfoot portion of said midsole from said concave recess to said top surface;

at least one forefoot vent hole extends vertically in said forefoot portion of said midsole to said top surface of said forefoot portion;

at least one longitudinal groove extends longitudinally in at least said forefoot portion of said midsole and communicates between said at least one forefoot vent hole and said concave recess; and

said cover portion of said corrugated sheet covers a portion of said concave recess below said at least one midfoot vent hole.

5. The midsole assembly according to claim 4, wherein said at least one transverse hole includes an upper transverse hole extending transversely in said upper heel portion of said midsole along an upper surface of said corrugated portion of said corrugated sheet.

6. The midsole assembly according to claim 5, wherein said at least one transverse hole further includes a lower transverse hole extending transversely in said lower heel portion of said midsole along a lower surface of said corrugated portion of said corrugated sheet.

7. The midsole assembly according to claim 6, wherein a first one of said transverse holes extends entirely transversely through said heel portion of said midsole and has open ends on said lateral side and said medial side of said heel portion, and a second one of said transverse holes has an open end only at said lateral side and extends only partly through said heel portion toward said medial side.

8. The midsole assembly according to claim 7, wherein said lower transverse hole is said first one of said transverse holes and said upper transverse hole is said second one of said transverse holes.

9. The midsole assembly according to claim 4, wherein said at least one transverse hole includes plural transverse holes, a first one of said transverse holes extends entirely transversely through said heel portion of said midsole and has open ends on said lateral side and said medial side of said heel portion, and a second one of said transverse holes has an open end only at said lateral side and extends only partly through said heel portion toward said medial side.

10. The midsole assembly according to claim 4, wherein said at least one transverse hole includes a lower transverse hole extending transversely in said lower heel portion of said midsole along a lower surface of said corrugated portion of said corrugated sheet.

11. The midsole assembly according to claim 10, wherein said at least one heel vent hole includes a first heel vent hole that further extends vertically through said corrugated portion of said corrugated sheet to communicate into said lower transverse hole.

12. The midsole assembly according to claim 11, wherein said at least one transverse hole further includes an upper transverse hole extending transversely in said upper heel portion of said midsole along an upper surface of said corrugated portion of said corrugated sheet, and said at least one heel vent hole further includes a second heel vent hole that does not extend vertically through said corrugated portion of said corrugated sheet and only communicates from said upper transverse hole upwardly to said top surface of said upper heel portion of said midsole.

13. The midsole assembly according to claim 4, wherein said corrugated sheet comprises a meshed sheet of metal fibers.

14. The midsole assembly according to claim 4, wherein said corrugated sheet comprises a corrugated solid metal sheet.

15. The midsole assembly according to claim 4, wherein said corrugated sheet comprises a fiber reinforced plastic sheet.

16. The midsole assembly according to claim 4, further comprising a midfoot transverse groove extending transversely across said midfoot portion of said midsole, along said plantar arch portion of said corrugated sheet, and communicating with said concave recess.

17. The midsole assembly according to claim 4, further comprising a forefoot transverse groove extending transversely across said forefoot portion of said midsole and communicating with said at least one forefoot vent hole.

18. The midsole assembly according to claim 4, wherein said cover portion has at least one hole therethrough which communicates into said concave recess and is not aligned vertically with said at least one midfoot vent hole.